I have damp. I need help
long story...
I bought a house about 4 years ago and a year after we moved in damp appeared on the walls (gabel end of terraced). A few builders came round and said "the neighbours drive is too high and it's breaching your damp course."
I wrote to the neighbour and asked him to pay for the work to be rectified. he's a property developer and he basically said 'no'. and that the land has always been at that height.
Anyway, I decided the best option was to just get damp profing done. Did that and the problem was fixed for a few months.
Next teh damp patches start to appear 'above' where the line of the injecta stuff was done. So obviously the problem is not fixed. It also appeared on the door frame between the front reception and back room of the terraced.
I got in touch with the damp people and they came round and said they could do more work, -but this is, to my mind, not going to solve the problem and be really expensive.
I decided that the only route was court so I rang a lawyer. The lawyer told me to get some evidence that the drive was causing the damp. She suggested a civil enginner would be the way to go.
I got a civil engineer out and he looked at it and took some pictures etc. The guy basically says 'it's impossible to say for sure that their drive is the problem. You've had damp proofing done and even though their drive is quite high, it's not entirely over your damp course. Also you've had damp work done so it shouldn't be a problem.'
His suggestion was pull up the floor boards and have a look at whehther there is water underneah.
this would involve pulling up all the laminate and the floorboards beneath. It would be very expensive.
Another builder came round and said he could insert a drain next to the side of the drive which would, he assures me, probably solve the problem.
I wrote to the neighbour again asking him to pay half. He refused. I wrote a third time asking if he would object to me getting the work done if I paid. He said that would be fine, -with conditions I don't damage his property.
This would cost about £800 quid which is fine is it solves the problem. But would it?
So, what are my options?
1. sue the neighbour? -don't have any evidence he's causing the problem
2. build a drain? -it may work, it may not. £800 down the loo.
3. Pull up the floorboards? Expensive and may prove nothing. Not even sure what I would do if there was water under there?
any ideas?
long story...
I bought a house about 4 years ago and a year after we moved in damp appeared on the walls (gabel end of terraced). A few builders came round and said "the neighbours drive is too high and it's breaching your damp course."
I wrote to the neighbour and asked him to pay for the work to be rectified. he's a property developer and he basically said 'no'. and that the land has always been at that height.
Anyway, I decided the best option was to just get damp profing done. Did that and the problem was fixed for a few months.
Next teh damp patches start to appear 'above' where the line of the injecta stuff was done. So obviously the problem is not fixed. It also appeared on the door frame between the front reception and back room of the terraced.
I got in touch with the damp people and they came round and said they could do more work, -but this is, to my mind, not going to solve the problem and be really expensive.
I decided that the only route was court so I rang a lawyer. The lawyer told me to get some evidence that the drive was causing the damp. She suggested a civil enginner would be the way to go.
I got a civil engineer out and he looked at it and took some pictures etc. The guy basically says 'it's impossible to say for sure that their drive is the problem. You've had damp proofing done and even though their drive is quite high, it's not entirely over your damp course. Also you've had damp work done so it shouldn't be a problem.'
His suggestion was pull up the floor boards and have a look at whehther there is water underneah.
this would involve pulling up all the laminate and the floorboards beneath. It would be very expensive.
Another builder came round and said he could insert a drain next to the side of the drive which would, he assures me, probably solve the problem.
I wrote to the neighbour again asking him to pay half. He refused. I wrote a third time asking if he would object to me getting the work done if I paid. He said that would be fine, -with conditions I don't damage his property.
This would cost about £800 quid which is fine is it solves the problem. But would it?
So, what are my options?
1. sue the neighbour? -don't have any evidence he's causing the problem
2. build a drain? -it may work, it may not. £800 down the loo.
3. Pull up the floorboards? Expensive and may prove nothing. Not even sure what I would do if there was water under there?
any ideas?